A very dark beer for a Marzen, a dark amber in color. This one is quite dry tasting, with a very pronounced smokiness to it. The dryness seems to accentuate and focus your tastebuds upon the smoke flavor. This beer has quite a good amount of Body, a certain fullness that comes through even though it is quite dry tasting. There is not much in the way of hop flavor, which is good, as it allows the subdued malt and, of course, the smoke to come through.

A: Pours a dark red almost black looking, with a full white head, great retention and good lacing. Seen this beer out of the olde wooden cask too, looks phenomenal.

S: Smoke, maple syrup and bacon.

T: Munich malt, very much marzen like of course with is the main backbone, has some sweetness. Smoke is prominent, but not as over the top as I remember when I first had it, perhaps it was just so new back then. Smoky tasty lager, not much more to say, quite good.

M: Not as robust maybe as I would like, could make the beer extraordinary, medium-bodied, smoky aftertaste, you'll taste the beer for a long time.

D: The classic of the style and the beer to have if you want to now what rauchbier is all about. A throwback to the early lagers and one of the most traditional flavours you're going to get.

500 ml bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours fairly clear medium reddish brown color with a dense 2 finger cream colored head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Dense spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge smoked wood, caramel, brown sugar, toast, bacon, ham, light roasted malt, brown bread, and smoked earthiness. Fantastic aromas with very prominent smoke character; with great balance and complexity of malt and smoke notes. Taste of smoked wood, caramel, brown sugar, toast, ham, brown bread, bacon, floral, light roasted malt, light clove, and smoked earthiness. Lingering notes of smoked wood, ham, caramel, brown sugar, toast, light roasted malt, brown bread, and smoke earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of malt and smoked flavors; with nice robustness and no cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and smooth mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent Rauchbier style! Great balance and complexity of smoke and malt flavors; and very smooth to drink. A highly enjoyable offering.

Popped into a local pub last night because they were having a two week Octoberfest type thing: pleased I did because there were bottles of this for £3.20.

Sadly they didn't have any of the correct glasses or steins, so I poured it into a Beck's Vier glass which actually suited it well. It showed off the body and head nicely and allowed the smoky aromas to waft out.

Really is an acquired taste and my wife hates this beer (we've been to Bamberg a few times). I am not a smoked bacon guy, nor do I smoke or eat much smoked ham or cheeses, but I do like this beer.

A: Pours an opaque yet still clear very dark brownish amber in color with light to moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass and a moderate amount of cola brown and garnet highlights. The beer has a half finger tall foamy light beige head that reduces to a large patch of thick film and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of smoked malts, specifically a smoke that is similar to what I would expect when smoking sausages or bacon.

T: Upfront there are light flavors of roasted and caramel malts with a moderate to strong flavor of smoked malts. Light notes of leather and just a hint of iodine flavors from the smoking of the malts. Light bitterness in the finish which fades quickly.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Very smooth.

O: Very interesting smoke aromas and flavors in this beer without being overwhelming. Very enjoyable, especially for someone that enjoys smoke and pretty easy to drink. Pairs well with smoked sausages.

Pours a very dark amber with 2 finger head of barely off-white foam. Leaves quite a bit of lacing on the glass. As soon as you crack this beast open you know you are dealing with something a little different. You don't even have to breath through your nose and you can easily pick up on the smokiness in the nose. I can't fight my way through it, all I smell is delicious smokey... nay very smokey bacon. Taking a sip, I am immediately thinking of a delicous roast beef dinner with gravy. What the hell is this, dinner in a bottle? Finish is a little bitter but the smoke remains in your mouth long after you have taken a sip. Another noticable feature is a bit of a metallic taste. The bottle is labled as a marzen but you could easily lie to me and tell me it is something else. I guess if you took away the smokey flavor it might taste like a marzen but I am too caught up in the beefy taste to tell what it is. About all this beer has to offer that is like a marzen is the color, and even that looks like it has been set on fire and burnt a little.

16.9 ouncer, poured a rich shade of almond, tan head, clear, malty smokey nose, taste here obviously is smokey. Basically tastes like a smoke house. Interesting, complex stuff, I doubt this brew is for everybody, but as I like smoked food, smoking foods and BBQ in general, I enjoy this stuff. I doubt I'd enjoy more then one or two.

Note at the outset that, as a whole, rauch beers are not my favorites and that they too often seem to me to have too much smoke flavor. This particular version is certainly above average and great looking, but does border on too much smoke flavor. In this case, my objection is more the masking of the other flavors rather than the sheer quantity of smokiness.

The clear brown body has a lasting tan head that leaves exceptional lacing. As suggested above, the aroma is very smokey; ominously so IMO. [Fortuantely, there is proportionately less smoke in the flavor and some malt and light spice shows. Still, the primary impression is more similar to smoked meat than to a 'typical' lager. [3.75]

Pours a very dar brown with white head. Aroma of roasted malts but dmoinated by a smokey charcoal bbq scent. This beer has a very complex taste that is dominated by a smoked charcoal taste. Burnt malt accompanied by hickory bbq. Very unique and original but not for everyone.

Had a half-liter bottle with my burger at the Farmhouse in Emmaus, PA. I remembered this beer being super-smokey, and I was not mistaken. It's not like most American smoke beers, however, that drink like liquid bacon (not that that's a bad thing). This flavor is rich with smoked wood flavor more in line with what you get in home-made jerkey - it's a big, but smooth roasted taste that reminds you of a fireplace. The malt provide sweet, crust and caramel background, but mostly just props up the smoked beechwood. The body, despite the strong flavor, is very drinkable. Overall, this is a classic rauchbier.

I've always really liked the beer from this brewery, and I think they set the standards for Rauchbier for everyone else. These beers are international treasures and should be appreciated for what they are. Pours a slightly reddish dark brown with a very loosely beaded head that fades to a ring. Absolutely scrumptious aroma of ethereal woodsmoke and tangy malt. The taste has plenty of that same woodsmoke as well as a slightly sour graininess and a long bitter, almost tannic finish. At mid taste the malts are smooth and creamy. Quite lovely, and very firm. Great by itself, but a wonderful food beer. Try it with somke roast pork and potatos or with some sharp cheddar cheese.

Amazing, overpowering smell of woodsmoke - reminds me of camping out in the forest. It almost dominates everything, but there is, hidden in there, a slight spiciness, like rum-soaked raisins or Christmas pudding. Pretty intense.

There is smokiness on the palate too, but it's tempered by a very welcome roasted bitterness. This, with the scent of smoke still spiralling around my sinuses, almost throws me into sensory overload. Mouthfeel is quite light, but much more would have been overkill. Lots of subtle complexity to explore behind the brash, overzealous smoked character. The beer is the more drinkable for this complexity.

A powerful beer, not something for everybody, but something that's worth seeking out. I will definitely be drinking this again.

I had a big feast earlier tonight which includes 'lil smokies and bacon from a local German deli. There's a faint juicy smoke flavor on my tongue as I prepare myself for a match with this famous rauchbier. Well, on to it:

The whole bottle has filled my stange glass. A ruby brown color, hues of orange a the edges. Maybe it's more of a cola-brown. Good white head on top, solid retention. Smell: it's bacon! and...sausages! There's even a hint of chocolate underneath it, but compliments the smoke flavor well. My mouth is watering and I think my new kitten wants some.

Not even close to the intensity of the urbock, but certainly more easier going down. Perfumy smoked bacon flavor mostly, there is some marzen-like sweetness which goes with the smoke. Unsweetened chocolate emergres. I liked the taste before, but now I'm liking it more.

Who needs coffee stouts for breakfast when you can drink this instead? Or have this with a coffee stout for breakfast without having any food? Downright yummy....now I want more 'lil smokies and German deli bacon.

Found this in a little store in Denver, not sure if I've ever seen it before. 1pt 6oz bottle.
Pours a very dark brown, just shy of black. Medium to small brown head, looks a bit thin when compared with the body. Used a Duvel snifter glass, wasn't sure which glass to use with a smoked beer.
Smell is amazing. A huge jerky smell, yet not so dry. That's really about it. Maybe some raisin.
Taste is liquid jerky, a bit of alcohol. Chewy, yet smooth. Is not as thick as it looks or smells. Drank very well. Good for pairing with grilled meats, I'd imagine

I didn't think that a smoked flavor would mix well with beer but I am somewhat surprised here. This beer does an excellent job of being what it's supposed to be.Poured a nice dark reddish/gold appearance with thick off-white/dark yellow head and lots of lacing. The hints of smoked meat, ham??? are very present but not over powering. Unique is the word and thats goood.

Poured from a 500 ml bottle. A dark brown brew with a sizable head and some lace sticking to the glass. Aroma of most delicious bbq meat and smoke, obviously from the beechwood smoked malts. A lush caramel underbody is a great palate for the smoke to dance on. Malty, roasty, smokey, fantastic. Kind of tastes like how a dying fire smells. There is a subtle malt sweetness that works with the smoke. Malt comes off roasted, a seperate flavor from the smoke. Hops are lightly bitter, but barely percievable until the finish. There is a lingering smoked meat flavor that sticks with you as it sticks to the beer. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, carbonation is about right, moderate. Overall, a great Rauch, epitomizes the style. Went well with grilled steak quesadillas and smoked poblano salsa.

Serving at the GBBF BSF bar for a few years has given me the immense pleasure of tasting this legendary beer when it is fresh and served on gravity straight from the cask~~ Maybe this privilege has pitched me a bit biased, preventing me from trying the bottled version more often than I can get hold of it. Unfortunately, this bottle is consumed past its expiry date again, by two months only this time! BB 09/2008, served chilled in a straight glass.

A: pours an elegant, deeply-infused-black-tea colour with a bright mahogany glows; the dark beige fluffy head dissipates slowly, on top of a moderately carbonated body.S: salty-sweet smokiness like kipper, smoked black prunes, and a light touch of brown malts all come in one sniff, leaving a mild touch of leafy-herbs lingering in the air.T: the foretaste comes smoky but not terribly rich, more like a smoked longan-fruit tea sprinkled with some chopped tobacco leaves; turning lightly peppery, spicy, tobacco-ish, before the almost tea-ish chewy bitterness as well as smoked malts expand and take over the aftertaste. A decent level of floral hop bitterness manages to outlive almost all other elements, adding to the drinkability considerably. The finish is clean, slightly bitter-ashy, tea-leafy as well as slightly sour-fruity.M&D: lightly carbonated, light-bodied, easy-to-drink... All in all, like a diluted Rauch Urbock with an attenuated smoked profile but retaining a good level of hop bitterness as a balancer. Despite being not as great as the cask version served on gravity, this bottle has proved itself to be a thirst-quencher for sure~~

* Tasting Date: 17/04/2005This is my first time to try German smoked beer, so I placed great expectation on it. Had it at home on 16 April 2005 but the Best Before Date is September 2004...3.5 A: dark-brown colour, with a thin but lasting head.4 S: smoky (apparently!), "black-prune juice" (as in Chinese refreshing summer drink!) and a hint of mellow "longan-fruit tea" (again, as in Chinese drink...) smell...3.5 T: nothing special to write home about... round, soft, but quite thin in terms of depth... The aftertaste shows surprisingly lingering smokiness (or is it the way Rauchbier should be anyway?), slightly sweet and felt like chewing beech-wood chips in the mouth!4 M&3.5 D: a very pleasant drink overall, but I must say that if drinking it alone, it could become boring after just one pint... Or, is it because the beer has expired after all when I tasted it?? Gotta revisit this bottle version.

Having had this in the bottle the biggest difference is the appearance and smell. This beer's retention and head staying power is insane. Super sheets of lacing and the head doesn't go anywhere. The head even on tilt sticks to the glass in chunks so much that this beer looks like a freak show.

The smell is intensely more smokey and bacony than from the bottle. But it has all the great qualities (smoke, bacon, jerky, some mild salt) out of the bottle also but a little more dense body.

Overall on tap or in the bottle this beer just delivers in spades. Super drinkable and just meets expectations in feel all around.